CHAPTER III

THE MYTH OF BALDER

[How Balder, the good and beautiful god, was done
to death by a stroke of the mistletoe.]

A deity whose life might in a sense be said to be
neither in heaven nor on earth but between the two,
was the Norse Balder, the good and beautiful god,
the son of the great god Odin, and himself the wisest,
mildest, best beloved of all the immortals. The
story of his death, as it is told in the younger or
prose Edda, runs thus. Once on a time
Balder dreamed heavy dreams which seemed to forebode
his death. Thereupon the gods held a council
and resolved to make him secure against every danger.
So the goddess Frigg took an oath from fire and water,
iron and all metals, stones and earth, from trees,
sicknesses and poisons, and from all four-footed beasts,
birds, and creeping things, that they would not hurt
Balder. When this was done Balder was deemed
invulnerable; so the gods amused themselves by setting
him in their midst, while some shot at him, others
hewed at him, and others threw stones at him.
But whatever they did, nothing could hurt him; and
at this they were all glad. Only Loki, the mischief-maker,
was displeased, and he went in the guise of an old
woman to Frigg, who told him that the weapons of the
gods could not wound Balder, since she had made them
all swear not to hurt him. Then Loki asked, “Have
all things sworn to spare Balder?” She answered,
“East of Walhalla grows a plant called mistletoe;
it seemed to me too young to swear.” So
Loki went and pulled the mistletoe and took it to
the assembly of the gods. There he found the
blind god Hother standing at the outside of the circle.
Loki asked him, “Why do you not shoot at Balder?”
Hother answered, “Because I do not see where
he stands; besides I have no weapon.” Then
said Loki, “Do like the rest and shew Balder
honour, as they all do. I will shew you where
he stands, and do you shoot at him with this twig.”
Hother took the mistletoe and threw it at Balder,
as Loki directed him. The mistletoe struck Balder
and pierced him through and through, and he fell down
dead. And that was the greatest misfortune that
ever befell gods and men. For a while the gods
stood speechless, then they lifted up their voices
and wept bitterly. They took Balder’s body
and brought it to the sea-shore. There stood
Balder’s ship; it was called Ringhorn, and was
the hugest of all ships. The gods wished to launch
the ship and to burn Balder’s body on it, but
the ship would not stir. So they sent for a giantess
called Hyrrockin. She came riding on a wolf and
gave the ship such a push that fire flashed from the
rollers and all the earth shook. Then Balder’s
body was taken and placed on the funeral pile upon
his ship. When his wife Nanna saw that, her heart
burst for sorrow and she died. So she was laid
on the funeral pile with her husband, and fire was
put to it. Balder’s horse, too, with all
its trappings, was burned on the pile.[256]